How To Become A Desk Worker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a desk worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a desk worker. For example, did you know that they make an average of $11.48 an hour? That's $23,870 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce -5,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDesk WorkerUS Average

Salary

1.9

Avg. Salary $23,870

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.27%

Asian 10.55%

Black or African American 9.17%

Hispanic or Latino 13.36%

Unknown 6.48%

White 59.18%

Gender

female 61.05%

male 38.95%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress level

8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.8

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.3

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a desk worker

Explore desk worker education requirements

Most common desk worker degrees

Bachelor's

74.8 %

High School Diploma

13.5 %

Associate

5.7 %

Start to develop specific desk worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	23.44%
Front Desk	18.42%
Check-In	17.73%
Circulation Desk	8.24%
Library Patrons	4.36%

Complete relevant desk worker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New desk workers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a desk worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real desk worker resumes.

Research desk worker duties and responsibilities

Assist with inter-library loans through libraries with reciprocal borrowing agreements.
Lead associate sales and supervise associate returns and overall museum cleanliness.
Check in, renew, and re-shelve CDs, books, periodicals and DVD/VHS.
Respond to telephone inquiries, handle check-in returns, and process out-bound books, CDs and videos.

Prepare your desk worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your desk worker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a desk worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable desk worker resume templates

Build a professional desk worker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your desk worker resume.